It has been almost a week since we swore in President Donald Trump. He has signed many executive orders. The same Republicans who were pissed off about Obama’s executive orders are now praising Trump’s executive orders.
It feels like an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Here are all of the executive orders he has signed so far.:
1. Easing ‘Burden’ Of Affordable Care Act
One of the first ones he signed on Inauguration Day involved the Affordable Care Act. This set the repeal in motion. He wants to provide “markets” for people to buy policies. The states are allowed to do whatever they want to cut costs, basically.
2. Regulation Freeze
Another one has put a stop to any current pending regulations that have not been approved. Any of former President Obama’s regulations that he passed during his final weeks. They have been put on hold until the new administration reviews them.
3. Taking Away Abortion Funds
Our misogynist-in-chief has signed another executive order that takes away government funding from any organizations that provide abortion services. This is completely unconstitutional, but I’m sure Republicans are all for it. Presidents have been going back and forth on this order during the last few administrations. Ever since the Reagan administration, Republican presidents have put the order in place, and Democratic presidents have repealed it.
4. TPP
Another one took us out of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The deal was still in the works, so the executive order wasn’t really necessary in this case.
5. Hiring Freeze
Trump signed another order instituting a hiring freeze in the federal government. The only exception is the military. The memo says:
“It is the policy of my Administration to represent the American people and their financial well-being in all negotiations, particularly the American worker, and to create fair and economically beneficial trade deals that serve their interests. Additionally, in order to ensure these outcomes, it is the intention of my Administration to deal directly with individual countries on a one-on-one (or bilateral) basis in negotiating future trade deals. Trade with other nations is, and always will be, of paramount importance to my Administration and to me, as President of the United States.”
6 & 7. The Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines
Trump is going to piss off more environmentalists because he signed memos to get the construction started on both of these controversial pipelines. The memo for the Dakota Access Pipeline orders the approval of the construction. The memo for the Keystone XL pipeline invites TransCanada to re-submit their application.
8. Expediting Infrastructure Projects
Another one he signed would expedite the environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects. The action says in part:
“Federal infrastructure decisions should be accomplished with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, while also respecting property rights and protecting public safety and the environment. To that end, it is the policy of the executive branch to streamline and expedite, in a manner consistent with law, environmental reviews and approvals for all infrastructure projects, especially projects that are a high priority for the Nation, such as improving the U.S. electric grid and telecommunications systems and repairing and upgrading critical port facilities, airports, pipelines, bridges, and highways.”
9. American Steel
This action says that building new pipelines and repairing existing ones should be done with American steel to the “maximum extent possible.”
10. Manufacturing Regulations
Another memo he has signed calls for a review of American manufacturing companies. The federal government will expedite their processes involving manufacturing.
11. Border Security
We all knew this was coming. He signed an executive order beginning construction on the Border Wall. He also wants to construct detention centers near the border, and hire 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents. He wants to empower state and local governments to act as immigration people.
12. Immigration
It begins…Trump promised to crack down on undocumented immigrants. This memo is ordering homeland security to do several things including:
- Work on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions.
- Hire 10,000 additional immigration officers at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Prohibit federal funding to “sanctuary cities”
- Sanction countries who refuse to accept deported immigrants
- Create a weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants
- Create an “Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens”
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
